Words in a French Life: Lessons in Love and Language from the South of France (Hardcover)

by Kristin Espinasse (Author) "My belle-mere is seated at the kitchen table sorting the baskets of apricots with Jean-Marc..." (more)
Key Phrases: Mediterranean Sea, Happy Mother's Day

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Vignettes and vocabulary create the base for this lighthearted memoir by Espinasse, whose blog "French Word-A-Day" spawned three self-published books. Born and raised in Phoenix, Ariz., Espinasse followed her heart to France, where she married and started a family. Thirteen years later, she still endures being labeled l'Américaine and experiences the indignities of grammar correction (by her own children, no less). Each short chapter (some are just one page) is inspired by a French word, shares a brief anecdote about French life (incorporating French words into the text), and ends with a list of all of the vocabulary words used in the anecdote, their English translation and a list of expressions using the word. In between explaining words like complicité("closeness, complicity") and égard ("consideration"), Espinasse recounts her adventures, from fitting in with the French moms to undergoing culture shock on return visits to the States, with honesty and humor, never afraid to have a good laugh at her own expense. With its innovative and entertaining way of teaching the finer points of French, Espinasse's memoir will be popular with travelers and expats alike. (May)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist
Blogger Espinasse has taken a step backward in the evolution of media by converting selected contents of her Web log into a book. Her popular blog covers a different French word each day for an English-speaking audience. Espinasse's "definitions" come from her everyday experiences, particularly those provoked by her children's frequent delight at their mother's mistakes, misuses, and mispronunciation of words. When her son asks her to pass the ficelle, she searches the table for a string, not comprehending at first that the same word applies to an exceptionally narrow loaf of bread. Her daughter's loss of a baby tooth reminds Espinasse that French children earn a visit from the little mouse, not the tooth fairy. By birth an Arizonan, Espinasse has full command of English, so her explanations are lucid and helpful. Beginning students of conversational French will profit from many of these brief entries, and supplemental tables of expressions go far to demystify French idioms for anyone wishing to speak and write more fluent French. Mark Knoblauch
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Touchstone (April 25, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743287282
• ISBN-13: 978-0743287289
• Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 5.8 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #507,858 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An absolute pleasure for all readers, May 22, 2006

By	Helena Wallace - See all my reviews

This isn't the France of travel magazines and guidebooks. It is France seen with the discerning eye of a writer, the loving heart of a mother and the self-effacing wit of an easy-going American in the land of women who iron their children's pajamas. The book's format - weaving French lessons into vignettes of her life in South France - is quite unique and I loved learning the kind of colloquial French I didn't get in classes. But what makes the book so special is Espinasse's humanity. Anyone can describe lavender, cobblestones and the pecadilloes of the French, but here is a woman who notices the little ironies and blessings in everyday life common to us all and has the talent to render them with humor, grace and charm. Even after I finished, I kept picking it up to reread. It's that good.

34 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Very Special Person and a Very Special Book, June 20, 2006

By	Jeanette Locker (Avila Beach, CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

As someone who has read just about every book written by individuals who have chosen to live in France, I rate this book at the top of the list. I first became aware of Kristin's blog when I was attempting to improve my French. In reality, I continue to read Kristin's pieces because she is witty, a great writer, and most of all not pretentious. She is so sincere, and you feel a special closeness to her because she speaks from the heart. She has become "mon amie" from France who always makes me smile.

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Dreaming in French with Kristy!, April 14, 2006

By	Corey Amaro "Tongue in Cheek" (France) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Kristy writes with charming simplicity! Her words capture our imagination taking us behind the blue shutters of Provence. There her hand opens wide the view of the life we dream to see inside...cupboards full of homemade goodness, baskets stacked high of humor, dresser drawers overflowing with lavender-scented laundry! Kristy shows us her family, their lives in France, with her collection of tender hearted love and words that you want gobble up page by page!
A wonderful, delightful, enchanting book to help you learn French while eating a baguette and saying, "Bien Bien Encore!"